Raymarine sponsors the OAR Project on a Great British adventure

May 2012

Raymarine, the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine electronics, is supporting the Olympic Atlantic Row (OAR) with the latest marine technology. Raymarine navigation equipment will play a vital role in the OAR’s epic challenge to row 2,000 miles across the North Atlantic Ocean, departing from Canada to arrive in England in time to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The crew of two - entrepreneur and adventurer Andrew ‘Mos’ Morris, and Roz Savage, an environmental campaigner and one of the most experienced ocean rowers in the world - plan to depart St John’s Newfoundland around 14 May 2012.

Their state of the art 24ft ocean rowing boat, Bojangles, is designed and built to withstand the extreme weather and harsh conditions of the ocean. She is made of a Kevlar Carbon composite foam sandwich material and features pioneering self-righting and safety features and Raymarine instruments.

Bojangles is kitted out with the latest Raymarine integrated navigation, communication and safety equipment. Electronics on board include the Raymarine e7 compact multifunction display and the Raymarine AIS650, which will enable Bojangles to be seen clearly by larger vessels as well as alerting Roz and Andy to ships in the vicinity. The Raymarine ST60+ Speed instrument display, with its easy to use push button controls, will give them superior viewing of data day and night.

Mos and Roz say: “Our Raymarine equipment is critical for a safe crossing. It will give us easy access to reliable, accurate data, in a low maintenance system. It’s essential for our safety, speed and to keep us to schedule, with the added benefit that it’s all integrated and easy to use.

“We expect the e7 to be one of our most vital pieces of equipment. The AIS will allow us to track the presence of vessels and their speed in shipping lanes. Just as importantly, Raymarine’s “see and be seen” capability significantly improves our navigational safety by making our boat visible on the chart and radar displays of much larger vessels.”

Battling against the prevailing winds and powerful currents of the North Atlantic, Andrew and Roz will endure a gruelling routine; rowing two hours on, two hours off, twenty four hours a day. They will navigate icebergs and hazardous shipping lanes, and encounter bitter cold, fog, mountainous waves, storm force winds and unpredictable currents. The OAR is being undertaken completely independently - Bojangles is completely self sufficient and no support vessel will trail in her wake.

The route undertaken by the OAR crew has never been attempted in an ocean rowing boat. Following departure from Newfoundland (around May 14 2012), the estimated journey time across the North Atlantic is 60 days. The crew will row through the infamous Canadian Grand Banks, an area of comparatively shallow Ocean – and the scene of the film, A Perfect Storm. After crossing the North Atlantic, Mos and Roz will make their way through the Bristol Channel and into the British Inland waterways system. Travelling via rivers and canals, they will join the River Thames to enter into the heart of London, aiming to arrive before 27 July 2012 in time for the Olympic opening ceremony.

The OAR Project seeks to create a lasting legacy through the OAR Inspiring Education Program and OAR Legacy, a fund to provide rowing boats for young people in deprived areas of the UK. It is hoped that the OAR Project will help to captivate the spirit and excitement of the 2012 Olympics, to highlight to young people that with the right preparation, determination and some hard work, anything is possible.

FLIR Systems, Inc. is
a world leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of sensor systems that
enhance perception and awareness. FLIR's advanced systems and components are
used for a wide variety of thermal imaging, situational awareness, and security
applications, including airborne and ground-based surveillance, condition
monitoring, navigation, recreation, research and development, manufacturing
process control, search and rescue, drug interdiction, transportation safety,
border and maritime patrol, environmental monitoring, and chemical, biological,
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information, visit FLIR’s web site at www.FLIR.com.

About Raymarine:

Raymarine, a world
leader in marine electronics, develops and manufactures the most comprehensive
range of electronic equipment for the recreational boating and light commercial
marine markets. Designed for high performance and ease of use, the
award-winning products are available through a global network of dealers and
distributors.

The Raymarine product
lines include radar, autopilots, GPS, instruments, fishfinders, communications,
and integrated systems. Headquartered in Fareham UK, Raymarine is a division of
FLIR Systems, a world leader in thermal imaging. For more information about
Raymarine please go to www.raymarine.com.